30 Second Elevator Pitch
48 RepliesJump to last post
[quote=BondGuy]“You know how many people spend more time planning their vacation than planning for retirement? Well, what I do is help my clients plan for the longest vacation of their lives, their retirement.”
Courtesy of Mark Magnacca from his book "So What? How To Communicate What really Matters To Your Audience [/quote] THAT IS F*CK*N SWEET... BONDGUY comes up big again...!Last weekend I used the "I manage money. Help people increase their income and reduce their taxes, keep as much from the government as possible" line at a dinner table with a bunch of people I'd never met. Guy laughed, said those were very important things. His wife and their friends all asked for my opinion, I said "I don't want to make this a commercial, but I am buying strategically" and left it at that. Next day, I hear through the guy's wife that he wants to talk to me.
BondGuy, that line reminds me of a book I once looked at and even an old branch manager from my time at ML. Get people to visualize something or imagine something and you'll be more memorable. "You know those people", they want to be "those people". Something like that. The old manager used to do something where he would have people list what they would do if they won the lottery. I can't remember why exactly, maybe to get them to believe he could help them reach their goals or get them to their dreams. I guess it worked for him.I have found that the title Financial Advisor means different things to different people. Some think I help them with debt consolidation, some think insurance or real estate. The title Investment advisor and I manage investments make a lot more sense and leave less to doubt. Bond Guy’s story is very compelling when you have more time.
[quote=BondGuy]“You know how many people spend more time planning their vacation than planning for retirement? Well, what I do is help my clients plan for the longest vacation of their lives, their retirement.”
Courtesy of Mark Magnacca from his book "So What? How To Communicate What really Matters To Your Audience [/quote]Like I said
Tell people what you do
Not what you are
Read above and learn pikers.
[quote=BondGuy]“You know how many people spend more time planning their vacation than planning for retirement? Well, what I do is help my clients plan for the longest vacation of their lives, their retirement.”
Courtesy of Mark Magnacca from his book "So What? How To Communicate What really Matters To Your Audience [/quote]I use something similar to this along with a generic "I'm a Financial Advisor", depending on the crowd. When I don't say I'm an FA, I say:
"You know how some people worry about their finances? I help my clients to delegate their worries to me so they can enjoy their lives".
I do agree that if it sounds too canned or slick, it would give some people the "uh-oh" feeling.
You still sound cheesy. Maybe not to yourself, but to others, when you use those lines, you sound cheesy. You are cheesy PikerI am a salesman
I tell people what I do
It only sounds cheesy because you are scared to sell yourself in person
Saying your a financial advisor does not tell people what you do
It tells them your job title
Which 20,000 people hold
Pikers
You still sound cheesy. Maybe not to yourself, but to others, when you use those lines, you sound cheesy. You are cheesy Piker[/quote][quote=DD]I am a salesman
I tell people what I do
It only sounds cheesy because you are scared to sell yourself in person
Saying your a financial advisor does not tell people what you do
It tells them your job title
Which 20,000 people hold
Pikers
Afraid of what you do huh?
Impressed by your own title?
total piker
I’m a doctor - really, what type?
I’m a teacher - what do you teach?
I’m a financial advisor - do you do loans? can you check out my balance in my checking account?
Financial Advisor means nothing and everything. There is a reason you prospect teachers piker.
I’m a 403b salesman - Do you accept money orders?
Teachers....the absolute most brain dead people in the world. I just spoke to a prospect today that took out his kids entire education fund (where he was getting a 20% grant on the money) to buy property. The best advice advice I got in my Edward Jones training was a VV telling me the second a teacher decides to buy something, tell all your clients to sell.[quote=DD] I’m a doctor - really, what type?
I’m a teacher - what do you teach?
I’m a financial advisor - do you do loans? can you check out my balance in my checking account?
Financial Advisor means nothing and everything. There is a reason you prospect teachers piker.
I’m a 403b salesman - Do you accept money orders?
[/quote]
I’m a psychologist. NOT “I help my patients realize their social and emotional issues to become better, more productive members of society.”
I’m a math teacher. Apparently you missed this one, because you are too incompetent to even read a simple sentence. Reading comprehension escapes you apparently.
If your audience is too stupid to know that financial advisor probably doesn’t mean “loan officer” or “teller,” then that’s your problem, not mine. Maybe you need a more elite social circle, dipsh|t.
Oh, and then there is your limitless wit, regarding my 403B prospecting. That’s just BRILLIANT! Man, I’m such an idiot. My b/d has a prospecting channel, where I can show up, and the prospects COME TO ME for an appointment! Kind of like at a bank, except not quite as “warm” of leads, but my payout is over 50%. Yeah, foolish me.
And I never said most of my assets or production comes from teachers, I simply make comments about that channel, because it’s a unique perspective I can offer on this forum. I have plenty of clients that aren’t teachers, or even related to public education. I have small businesses, a few docs, people from all walks - probably because I’m not socially retarded, like you. So when I meet new people (you know, because I have a social life), they are automatically intrigued, I don’t need a corny saying to garner a strangers interest.
By the way, nice new tag line. It’s flattering to know that I get under your skin THAT much, that you’ll waste your time with that kind of nonsense. How cute.
Now run along, before I make you my b+tch completely.
My clients buy me. Not some cheesy script. When i meet someone at a networking event, I have a presence, and a way of speaking to them that lets them know I am not a mortgage broker, or credit counselor. No script needed. PikerI’m a doctor - really, what type?
I’m a teacher - what do you teach?
I’m a financial advisor - do you do loans? can you check out my balance in my checking account?
Financial Advisor means nothing and everything. There is a reason you prospect teachers piker.
I’m a 403b salesman - Do you accept money orders?
So getting back on topic…
DD - When someone asks what you do do you say “I am a gay prostitute” or “I blow other dudes in the park for a $20 spot”?
[quote=SometimesNowhere]So getting back on topic…
DD - When someone asks what you do do you say “I am a gay prostitute” or “I blow other dudes in the park for a $20 spot”?
[/quote]
[quote=etj4588][quote=BondGuy]“You know how many people spend more time planning their vacation than planning for retirement? Well, what I do is help my clients plan for the longest vacation of their lives, their retirement.”
[/quote] If someone told me that, I'd walk away laughing and feeling that this person was trying a little too hard. I simply say, "I manage investments". Which 100% of the time gets them to ask more.... what kind of investments? who do you work for? etc.[/quote] Dude, it's an elevator speech! You're on an elevator, you can't walk away laughing. Seriously, I agree to a point. You have to pick and choose where and when to whip out an elevator speech. This one was provided courtesy of Bill Cates who is reccoing Mark's book. What i like about it is that it tells what you do, not who you are. Really, what is a Senior VP financial consultant? First off, at the big wires and regionals it's an honorary title. Should we tell people that? And, as for being a partner in a wealth management firm, Ok, anyone with $300 bucks and access to a county courthouse to file the paperwork can make the same claim. Gee, I'm impressed!!!!! One of the funniest ironies in our business is defense lawyers trying to explain how meaningless our titles are when defending Mr. Senior VP in arbitration. Tell'em what you do, not who you are. Who you are, by title, is meaningless to Joe Lunchbox and Charles CFO. I also like that it starts with a question. The question draws the listener in. Another example: Do you know how many people are worried about running out of money at retirement? Well, what i do is help people create a stream of income they can't outlive." Modify to your liking or run away laughing. But watch that first step, remember, we're on an elevator!I get where you are going with attempting to frame yourself as a financial problem solver. The only problem for me is that the kind of clientele I deal with would think it’s a bit hokey. Too much salesmanship comes across as untrustworthy and raises suspicions.
When I am asked, I downplay it... "I manage investments". That's it. I am not trying to engage them in a conversation about retirement planning. If they want to know more, they will ask.[quote=etj4588] I get where you are going with attempting to frame yourself as a financial problem solver. The only problem for me is that the kind of clientele I deal with would think it’s a bit hokey. Too much salesmanship comes across as untrustworthy and raises suspicions.
When I am asked, I downplay it… “I manage investments”. That’s it. I am not trying to engage them in a conversation about retirement planning. If they want to know more, they will ask. [/quote]
Thanks everyone for the serious answers. I like the low-key approach, now that I think about it. “I manage investments”. No sales pitch, no pressure, let them come to me if they are interested. I can see how that would be appropriate in elevator situations.
I do Financial Planning and Investment Management, which are a lot more inter-related than most people think. (or just drop the last part (which are a lot…)
K I S S E T I T E M U P P P L I E D